You may have seen my post, here, our first outdoor entertaining for the year–chilly as it was–we pulled out the outdoor heater and enjoyed a special evening with our friends.

Summer entertaining is really easy. You don’t have to clean your house, you can usher your guests into the backyard, turn on the music, cut some fresh flowers from the garden, and you are set!

That part is easy. But what about the food?

I’ve recently re-discovered chicken thighs. According to what I recently read on Good Housekeeping site, they are just as good for you as chicken breasts! (I went back and couldn’t find the link – if anyone finds it, please send to me.)

Chicken thighs:
They are higher in fat and calories than breasts, but as long as you remove the skin and any excess fat, economical thighs fit into a good-for-you diet. They also provide 25 percent more iron and more than twice as much zinc as the same amount of breast meat.

When our friends came, I had thighs marinated in the fridge, and we whipped up a big summer salad and put whole-wheat bread in the oven.

Oh, and then we had this butterscotch dessert.

If you didn’t see the recipe a few weeks ago, this is one for sure you’ll want to file away (or put on Pinterest?) A crowd-lover’s dessert and SO easy.

Back to chicken. Here’s my easy recipe for marinade. (Yes, the chives are from our garden.)

By the way, I’m growing my own sweet bay tree now so I no longer have to buy bay leaves from the store. It’s doing so well (inside).

Have you entertained yet this summer, and what will you most likely be grilling?